Going Home
by ChuckG65
Summary: When you become seperated from the ones you love, it is hard to think about anything but coming home. Sometimes though, going home isn't as great as it's made out to be
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

The elevator gently came to a halt. The chrome door silently slid open. Dark sapphire eyes hurriedly scanned the spacious office.

"Ah, Mister Arc," a calm voice called from across the room, "so good of you to come on such short notice!"

Jaune Arc stepped out of the elevator, the doors shutting with a near inaudible click. The tension seemed unbearable, the only audible sound coming from the young man's dress shoes clicking along the floor as he made his way towards the desk at the far end of the room. "You wanted to speak with me, sir?"

"Yes, please take a seat," the headmaster gestured towards the wooden chair across from him. Jaune sat down, attempting not to slouch too much in order to avoid wrinkling his black suit. The headmaster noticed the boys rigidity and untied necktie and let out a small chuckle. "Hot date tonight?" Jaune laughed and scratched the back of his head, a habit the headmaster noted the boy always had when nervous.

"Ehh, not quite. Ruby decided she wanted us all to have one last outing before graduation," the blond boy rambled, "then Weiss decided we should all go somewhere fancy and then I had to spend half the money I had to buy this stupid suit, money I was going to use to buy a ring for Y-"

"How is Miss Xiao Long doing?" Headmaster Ozpin interrupted, knowing if he hadn't then the young man in front of him would have kept rambling.

Jaune's face lit up at the mention of the woman he loved, drawing a wide smile across his face. "She's doing amazing, sir. I think she is more excited about graduation than anyone else. She can't wait to finally be a licensed huntress."

"And how about yourself Mister Arc?" The headmaster leaned forward in his chair and steeped his fingers in front of his mouth, his face taking on as sudden air of mystery. "Have you put any thought on what you will be doing after graduation?"

Jaune's smile faltered slightly but remained. "Well, I'm probably just gonna take some odd hunting jobs close the city, maybe move closer to home."

"And what of your team or team RWBY? What about Yang?"

"Well I hope we all keep in touch and I really hope she says yes. Whatever happens after that happens."

"Your two teams have been some of the biggest pains I've had since I've worked at this academy. All of your crazy antics during these past few years, your insane pranks, THE FOOD FIGHTS!" Jaune's smile fell completely, his face contorting into a look of shock and disappointment at suddenly being under the intense scrutinizing eye of the headmaster. "However," Ozpin continued, "with the things you eight have done, the challenges you have overcome, the hardships you have all managed. From stopping the breach and the attempted attack on our great academy in your first year to all the accomplished missions and saved lives during every year after, you all have become some of the greatest students to ever walk these halls. You especially Mister Arc. I personally see you as one of my greatest accomplishments. From you bumbling teenager that could barely swing a sword properly to proud young huntsman that can lead a village of civilians and huntsman alike against a siege of Grimm. When I heard you lead that charge Mister Arc, I couldn't stop telling Professor Goodwitch how wrong she initially was about you." The headmaster could barely hide the small grin that crossed his face as the young Arc stuck his chest out and slightly raised his chin in pride. "That is why, Mister Arc, I am offering you this job opportunity now."

Jaune's eyes widened and his jaw fell slack. "Job opportunity?"

"Yes, there has been a large increase in Grimm activity in Vacuo in the last year or so, as well as a large number of White Fang attacks."

Jaune leaned forward, now more intrigued about what the headmaster was telling him than worried about wrinkling his suit. "White Fang, sir? Wouldn't that be the military or the police force's job to handle them?"

"Normally it would be, yes, however it is believed that the White Fang possesses a machine that can allow them to, not necessarily control Grimm but lead them to attacking wherever the White Fang wishes. It is believed that they used a prototype version during the Vytal Festival attack three years ago. If they have a working version now, this could spell disaster for the Kingdom's."

"What would my job be exactly, sir?"

Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "Your job would be to assist a seasoned huntsman gather information on and disrupt the White Fang's operations as well as doing your duty as a huntsman and protecting the people of Vacuo from the creatures of Grimm. I will not lie to you, Mister Arc. This will be a long, lonely assignment. You will be forced to keep whatever you find out a secret from everyone but your contact. You will be far from home, you will not have any contact with your loved ones and you may not survive. No one can know where you are, what you are doing or who you are doing anything with. One breach in security can be catastrophic to the mission or could lead the White Fang to your loved ones. They are terrorists Mister Arc, they are not above kidnapping and murder."

Jaune's head fell forward, eyes peering down to the floor between his shoes, shaggy blond hair draping his face in shadow. "Why would it have to be me?"

"The White Fang are well aware of Team RWBY. After they helped nearly eradicate the Vale branch of their organization, I'm sure every Fang operative has their faces committed to memory with a kill on sight order directly underneath. As for your team, Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie are nearly inseparable and Miss Nikos is still learning how to hone her newly acquired….abilities."

A quiet sigh escaped the blonde's lips as he raised his head up finally looking the headmaster in the eyes again. "Why me though? Why not some actual hunter," his voice gradually got louder before turning into a loud angry yell. "Why not Team CFVY? Why can't I bring someone with me?! Why do I have to do this by myself?!" His breathing became ragged and heavy, his chest heaving in anger.

"Team CFVY is currently split across the entire continent of Anima on the same job you are being offered. They haven't had contact with one another since the night after they graduated. You once told me you became a huntsman so you could become a hero. This is your chance."

Jaune's head fell down again and remained there for several seconds. He then quietly raised his head and stood. "Can I have some time to think about it?"

Ozpin kept a calm façade as his hands dropped from his face to his to the side of his chair and grabbed his cane. Using the desk to support himself, he stood and hobbled around the desk toward the elevator across the office, gesturing for Jaune to follow. "Of course you can have time Mister Arc, but I will need to know by tomorrow night." He pressed the button on the wall and waited for the elevator to rise. "People will keep dying Mister Arc….Jaune. Regardless if they have that machine or not, the White Fang kills indiscriminately. They used to kill under the guise of faunus equality now they do not care if your Faunus or human. If you do not agree with them that faunus are superior, they will murder you. The kingdom's do not agree with them so they will try everything in their power to tear down the governments and replace them. We got lucky during the breach. Very few people died. We won't be so lucky the next time." As the headmaster finished speaking, the elevator arrived with a light _ding._ The chrome door slid open revealing a dark haired man sipping from a silver flask. Noticing the eyes watching him, he lowered the flask and walked into the office. Reaching out to shake Jaune's hand, Ozpin sent him on his way with a reminder to tell no one what had been discussed. The dark haired man patted the blond on the shoulder as he walked by and muttered a quick greeting. The elevator door shut again and all was quiet in the office once more. For a matter of seconds, anyway. The dark haired man let out a loud cough.

"You're sending Jaune with me?"

Ozpin let out a quiet sigh and hobbled to the coffee pot behind his desk. "Yes Qrow, if he agrees, he will be going to Vacuo with you."

"Poor kid," Qrow said before taking a seat at the desk, leaning back and propping his boots on the corner.

Ozpin returned to his seat with a mug of fresh coffee, blowing on it lightly to cool it. "Mister Arc is stronger than he believes. I've seen him do things I haven't seen some of the most experienced hunters do. His team was always one of the best at reconnaissance missions. He'll be more than valuable to you in the field."

Taking a long sip from his flask, Qrow chuckled and exclaimed, "I ain't talkin' about him, I'm talking about Yang! They've been together for nearly 3 years now and she won't shut up about the big 'M' word! She's gonna be devastated!"

Ozpin stared blankly into the dark brown liquid in his mug and sighed. "Young love."

 _x_

 _ **Well, this is my first fic. I can't say I'm the best writer in the world and I can't say this is the most original story (I actually got the idea from multiple fics I've read in the past and kinda wanted to throw my own touch onto). If you read it and think it's pretty decent, leave a review and I'll keep writing it. If not, thats cool too, I'll probably just write it for myself.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Jaune awoke to the sound of banging on the hotel room door and the midday sun shining through the window. He turned his head to the side and was rewarded with a mouthful of golden hair for his efforts.

"Make it stop," came the muffled voice from underneath the pillow next to him. Slowly sitting up with a long, pained groan, Jaune rubbed small circles into his forehead in an attempt to alleviate his pounding head. The pounding at the door came again, louder this time. His legs swung over the side of the bed, sending a shiver up his body as his bare feet made contact with the cold floor. Sliding out of bed, he shut the blinds over the window, once again descending the room into darkness, and picked his black dress pants out of a crumpled pile on the floor. After tripping several times trying to slide his legs into the pants and forgoing attempting to latch his belt buckle he slowly stumbled his way towards the banging on the door.

Jaune swung the door open with a quiet groan.

"Finally! We've been trying to get a hold of you guy for three hours!" yelled the wide eyed, giddy brunette, bouncing around on the balls of her feet in the hallway.

"What is it Ruby," Jaune groaned through gritted teeth, rubbing his forehead to alleviate his growing migraine .

"What is it?! It's noon already! Graduation is in six hours! We have to get back to Beacon and get ready!" Ruby screamed. "Wake Yang up and let's go! We have be at the bullhead docks in an hour!"

The door slammed in her face. "Don't be late," Ruby yelled, pounding on the door again before she bolted off. "And put a shirt on!"

A lone, frustrated, groan of acknowledgement emanated from Jaune as he slowly stumbled his way back across the room, coming to a stop next to the bed. His eyes slowly roved over the light bronze skin of the golden haired beauty still lying in his bed. Her body moved slightly and a glint of sunlight caused his hungry gaze to shift from the flawless skin of her bare back to the black and yellow metallic arm holding the pillow in place.

A lone lilac eye peaked out from underneath. "You're staring again."

The angelic voice caused a wide grin to split Jaune's face. He hopped into bed with a grunt, landing beside her. She removed the pillow and rolled on her side to face him, her hair glowing in the sunlight making her seem even more angelic. "I can't help it you're so beautiful," he said coyly as he placed several light kisses on her shoulder.

Yang's eyes narrowed. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"I don't know, it seemed to get me pretty far last night," he chuckled with a raised eyebrow.

Yang's jaw dropped. "You pig," she laughed as she shoved him onto the floor.

\--

"There, there, just let it out, Vomit Boy." A yellow and black hand rubbed small circles into his back. "Don't worry, I don't think Ren is too mad you threw up on his shoes. Hey, at least it wasn't my shoes this time." Yang grimaced at the memory of their first encounter.

Jaune was bent over, expelling the contents of his stomach onto the grass. "I told you not to let me drink so much last night," he moaned. Standing up straight, he wiped his face with his sleeve.

Yang's face twisted in disgust and pulled her body away as he attempted to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "Maybe you should go brush your teeth. Soon. Your breath stinks." She patted his back lightly.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, wiping the last remnants of vomit off his mouth. "I probably need to hurry before Nora uses all the hot water." Placing a quick kiss onto the top of her head, he turned and rushed towards the Beacon dorms.

"You guys act like you're never going to see each other again," came a quiet voice from behind her. Yang turned around and noticed the smug grin on her raven haired partner. "You disappeared pretty early last night. I take it Jaune wasn't in a partying mood."

Blake walked up to before they both started their stroll towards the campus grounds. Yang ran her fingers through her golden hair and let out a satisfied sigh. "I'm not exactly sure what was up with him last night but whatever it was, it was amazing. He treated me like I was the only person in the world. It was…" A wide, toothy smile graced her face, affection shining in her lilac eyes.

A quiet laugh cut off her train of thought. "I get it, it was nice." Blake's grin turned into a coy smile. "Now how about some of the more juicy details?"

\--

"Ladies and gentlemen, our newest generation of huntsmen and huntresses!" Applause roared across the gardens as the headmaster gestured towards the no longer Beacon students. The graduates were ushered out of the designated seating and split into their own groups. Teams RWBY and JNPR found their own spot to excitedly converse. Nora flailed her arms about, greatly over exaggerating their adventures over the years to no one in particular and never once considering or caring for the fact they all had experienced those stories themselves. No one was willing to correct the overly excited ginger, preferring her embellished recollections to what, mostly, were boring encounters.

Jaune planted a kiss on the top of Yang's golden mane as his eyes scanned the swarming gardens. "I need to go find the headmaster real quick," he whispered into her ear. "I won't take long, I promise."

She turned to face him. He was instantly mesmerized by her bright face, her cheeks rosy from mirth, her wide smile revealing pearly white teeth, eyes watery from so much laughing. The young huntress lifted her face to him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips which lasted several seconds before he reluctantly pulled away. Ocean blue eyes stared into lilac. "I'll be right back."

"You better hurry. My dad's over there talking to your parents. I might have to join him and dig up a little dirt." She gestured over his shoulder. "Hurry back. You won't be able to miss us. Just look for the most attractive person here."

Jaune let out a quick chuckle before kissing her again and rushing off. "Professor Ozpin," he called as he jogged towards the man. "I've thought about your proposal and you're right, we need to stop this before it gets any worse. I'm in."

"Ah, Mister Arc, " The headmaster turned to acknowledge the young man. "I'm glad to hear you've accepted my offer."

"We have to stop the White Fang before they can attack Vacuo like they did Vale. I'll be ready to go in a couple days, I just need to pack up a few things."

"There's no need Mister Arc, all you require is yourself and your weapon. You will leave tonight at midnight."

Jaune's eyes widened, his face paled and his voice coming as a hoarse whisper. "Tonight? I won't have any time to say goodbye."

Ozpin's weathered face remained stoic as ever. "There will be no goodbyes, I am afraid. They mustn't be aware of your leave until you are gone. We cannot let them sway your decision, this is too important. We would have given you another week to finish whatever you needed to complete but unfortunately we lost contact with yet another settlement this morning. We need you in Vacuo as soon as possible."

The blonde's head dropped as the realization of his decision came crashing down upon him. "What am I supposed to do?"

The headmaster placed a hand on his shoulder, attempting to comfort the young man. "Meet me at the bullhead docks this evening at midnight. From there you will take a bullhead to Vacuo and meet up with a designated contact. You mustn't be late Mister Arc. This transport is vital to the relief efforts."

Jaune's head lifted and he turned to look towards his girlfriend, standing next to his mother, a whole head taller, laughing at something one of their fathers had said. The summer sun dipped behind the Beacon cliffs, casting an orange glow over the world. She turned his way, no doubt feeling his eyes settling on her, sending a quick wave his way. The sunset glowed behind her, perfectly silhouetting her in oranges and yellows. Those were always were her colors, he thought to himself glumly. His right hand subconsciously waved back in response. "She's going to hate me for the rest of my life."

"She may or she may not. If the White Fang can cause enough damage in Vacuo, what is to say they won't try attacking Vale again. If the Vale faction were to become active again, Team RWBY would most likely be their first targets. Tell yourself you're doing this for her if you must."

A pit opened in Jaune's stomach, dread and regret pouring over him as he forced himself to nod his head in agreement. "I'll see you at midnight then, professor." With that said, he plastered a smile on his face and made his way back towards his friends and family.

 **x**

 **First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for the input. It actually had a bigger response than I had expected, so thanks.**

 **Secondly, I apologize for how long it's taken for Ch. 2 to arrive. Life has been EXTREMELY hectic for me lately and when I do have down time I find it hard to either find motivation to write or to put my ideas into words. There's absolutely no shortage of ideas, quite the opposite actually. Sometimes my ideas conflict and it throws me off and sometimes I come up with ideas for stories I haven't even started work on yet (I came up with two different story ideas in the last month). I will continue to work on this story, I assure you. I really like where my ideas are taking this and I hope you all will too. Once again, input is greatly appreciated and who knows, I might have a couple new stories out before too long.**


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